Bursting out the abyss like an unstoppable demonic force without remorse, Archangel A.D. is group that is ready to strike. The Edinburg, Texas based band unleashes a fist full of thrash metal madness on their upcoming album, “Warband.”
Taking the fierce and skull crushing spirit of 80’s thrash metal, Archangel A.D. constructs brutal headbanging riffs while composing some blitzkrieg like pieces of music. I hear a very classic thrash vibe in their songs and the songwriting is rather impressive for a young bunch of dudes. There are so many bands who try and look “thrash metal” to where the songs come out sounding incomplete, or are just poorly recycled riffs taken from Slayer songs. I think Archangel A.D. is going about writing their songs in the right manner to where they are not just hitting the repeat button on each track.
The album opens with an explosive song called, “Unto the Evil,” containing a crushing main riff section. I thought the music was very reminiscent to that of early Testament and Megadeth where the riffs contain some strong and thoughtful chord progressions accompanied by catchy verse sections. The drumming is solid along with the overall guitar and bass work, but I felt like the vocal presentation during the song was where the band really excelled. The band’s singer delivers a strong performance and the recording quality of the vocals helped give the songs that extra emphasis of aggression. Track number two, “Blighting,” is yet another classic thrash worshipping slice of galloping fury. There is no hesitation as the band feverishly hammers out a blizzard of notes and sounds to construct a sinister song.
The album’s title track, “Warband,” is strong piece of music and the musicianship from each member really stands out. Archangel A.D. does not settle for simplicity, however, they do not try and complicate their music with unnecessary technicality. That also goes for the instrumental track, “Enter the Temple,” which is a decent composition that is heavy and features some monstrous riffs. The final two tracks, “Evil Dreams” and “Metal Horde,” are dark pieces of music that both contain some haunting arrangements. I think the intro to, “Evil Dreams,” was down right terrifying and I really liked the bells ringing in the background. The band did a great job creating a very ominous and doom like atmosphere which was an enjoyable change of tempo.
In a sea of countless thrash bands around the world, I think Archangel A.D. did a tremendous job showing what they are capable of doing on, “Warband.” I want to hear them continue to focus on coming up with dynamic song structures, because I think that is where they will excel the most and separate them from the usual suspects. Also, the recording quality of the songs on this release was fairly decent, so I hope they build off of how this album sounded and find ways to produce some impactful thrash records. Thrash is still alive and kicking, especially when you have young bands like Archangel A.D. showing they have the potential and talent to conjure up some wicked sounding tunes.
Archangel A.D. "Blighting"
Archangel A.D. Facebook Page:
https://www.facebook.com/ArchangelA.D
Enjoyed review Robby.
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